The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-10
CHAT ABOUT CONGRESSMAN.
some Lively Anecdotes Related by a
Correspondent.
From the New York Tribune

where he comes from that his trousers are
cut with circular saw. The result is that
these garments are usually conspicuous for
baggy appearance where they are widest
Senator Vance called the attention of a
group of his colleagues standing in the
lobby of his hotel to this interesting phe-
nomenon and then remarked:
81 never get rear view of my old friend
George without thinking of the story of an
old tar-heel down in North Carolina who
went to a circus for the first time in his life.
After that memorable event he was sitting
around the tavern fire one evening relating
his experience to group of his cronies and,
regarding them with an air of superiority,
under which they were meekly inquisitive.
One of them timidly asked:
Ibid you see the bar at the circus, Uncle
Zekes Did you see the barp
'Yaas, responded the old man solemnly,
4 done seen the BAR
"'What sort of bar was it, Uncle Ecker
"'Waal, | never done seen q bar afore,
but low that it mought be right smart
Of BAR
"'Did you see the lion, Uncle Zekep
"'Yaas, done seen the lion.'
"'What sort of a lion was it, Uncle Ecker
"'Waal, | never done, seen lion afore,
but low that it mought be right smarl
of lion.
"'Did you see the camel, Uncle Zeke?'
"'Yaas, done seen the camel
"'What sort of a camel was it, Uncle
Ecker
"'Waal, l never done seen a camel afore,
but low that it mought be a right smart
of camel
"'Did you see the elephant, Uncle Zeke9
"'Yaas, done seen the elephant
"'Wfat sort of an elephant was itp
"'Waal, | never done seen an elephant
afore, an low that it mought be right
smart of an elephant; but it 'peared to me
like as if he had a heap O. slack leather
about his pants"
Senator Daniel, of Virginia, Gen. Ma
homes successor, will not cut a very great
figure in the Senate, l think, though bis
Southern admirers sometimes refer to him
as the 'Henry Clay of Virginia" He can
make fowery speech and deliver it like
an actor, but such qualities do not count for
much in the Senate nowadays. What is
wanted is vast amount of information,
industry and common sense. These the
new Senator possesses only to a limited de-
gree. He looks much like the pictures one
sees of John Wilkes Booth, though he him
self prefers to be for obvious reasons COM
pared to Edwin Booth. He is straight and
tall while he speaks, and though he hobbies
about on crutches, he discards them the
minute he addresses public audience. His
voice is clear, resonant and pleasing. His
speaks the word court as though it were
pronounced coat" He says $40" for for,
and has the other usual dialectiSms of the
South. In his speeches he is fond of intro
ducing startling comparisons. remember,
for instance, hearing him say in the House
once:
"You might as well put mustard plaster
on bald head for heart disease as to apply
legislation for the cure of labor troubles
Now such kind of talk will never do for
the Senate and Major Daniel will find this
out very quickly. He is, by the way, en-
joying the reputation of being the most in
veterate ''dry smokern in Congress You
rarely see him without an 'unhghted cigar
in his mouth. He is, in addition, the most
careless man about dress imaginable. He
is worse than old Van Wyck used to be-
and that is saying good deal.
While everybody admits that Springer
and Townshend possess the ''gift of CAB" in
an eminent degree, it is universally con-
coded that Senator Joe" Blackburn can
outdo either of them. Adlai Stevenson, the
Assistant Postmaster General, is irresponsible
for a story which seems to prove it. He is
a Kentuckian by birth and he and Black
burn attended the same school ''befo' the
wah." Two fellow students got into ''per-
sonal difficulty" which at last became so
serious that an appeal to the "code" was re-
garded as necessary. Stevenson and Black
burn were chosen as seconds by the princi-
pals. Joe" was the happy owner of a pair
of pistols which were to be used on the oc-
casion. Surgeons wereengaged, the ground
selected and sunrise was fixed as the time
when "honah" should be indicated At
daybreak on the following morning all par
ties were on the ground. The distance was
measured and the principals were placed,
facing each other, each with his loaded pis-
tol in hand.
1T was customary at that time" said
Stevenson, "for each mans second at that
stage of the business to address some re-
marks of hortatory nature to his princi
pal, partly with view to prevent an I'M
necessary splitting of blood and partly to
impress him with the solemnity of the occa-
sion. Well, the sun had just appeared above
the horizon; the sky was unclouded; dew
drops sparkled like diamonds on the grass
and foliage; birds sang their morning
hymns; all nature smiled and peace reigned
everywhere except in the breasts of the two
boys who stood facing each other, waiting
for the word to fire. Nothing remained to
be done except to give the usual advice.
looked toward Joe and said:
Now, Joe, you say whatever you desire
to your man and | will follow YOU
"'All right replied Joe, and he began"
At this point Stevenson always stops as
though the story was ended and the anxious
listener is expected to ask:
well, how did the dvel result? Was
either man klled"
And then Stevenson, with a grave face,
will reply:
"You see, the fact is. the duel never was
fought"
''Why?"
"Why, as said, Joe began his little
speech just as the sun rose, and when he
had concluded the sun had set and it had
become so dark that the men could not see
to shoot. and they gave up the idea of fight
ing before another meeting could be ar
ranged"
Among the new Congressman is NJ. t.
Biggs-"Old Biggs," he calls himself-of
California. He is noted for his hospitality
and invites every new acquaintance to visit
California and visit him. ''Just inquire for
old Biggs,' everybody knows him and you
will always find the latch string out, Is his
usual form of invitation. Mr. Biggs emf
grated to California from Missouri many
years ago. He left behind brother, who
is quite as original character as the Con-
gresham. The former was a member of
the State Senate some years ago when Col.
Colman, now Commissioner OF Agriculture,
was Lieutenant Governor. The latter was
deeply interested in the success of bill to
provide for the printing of 10000 extra
copies of the State Report on Agriculture.
Blggs, although large farmer, opposed the
bill and delivered the speech which killed it.
In doing so he told a good story at ColmanS